"Uy Grezlin Minrall Adar"
"Uy Grezlin Minrall Adar" (H; In Fields of Gold) is the title of a war poem written by Heartlandian soldier Uraz Minmak in February ERA 10-23. The line is a description of the landscapes he encountered during Operation Magnetism, the counterattack against North Zicia. The poem and it's title subsequently became a euphemism for the failed operation and the battles that took place during that time, specifically during the first stages of the conflict in the rural farmlands and walled towns of the northern part of North Zicia, known as the Northern Plains. The particular phase of the conflict it describes took place during late January to Mid April ERA 10-23. Heartland troops managed to win some key victories, but ultimately failed to gain a strong foothold in the region. Background During the North Zician Rebellion in early January, the Northern border of the country was attacked by PDP-allied troops. In a series of intense battles across hundreds of miles of fortifications, Heartland troops retreated back into friendly territory, leaving the border to be reinforced by North Zician troops. This defensive line also prevented besieged Heartlandian forces trapped inside the country to escape. During that month, the Heartland military hastily readied a counter-attack force, consisting of over 100,000 troops, to retake North Zicia under a quickly-devised battle plan, known as Actizoine Tezdanour (H; Operation Magnetism). By January the 29th, the task force was ready to launch the assault, with armoured vehicles, aircraft and even naval surface ships at their disposal. The plan was to attack the country from two fronts; a land based force would assault key weak points in the Northern Border and break through, whilst an amphibious force landed on the western coast of the country using the Great Channel. The land attack meant that Heartland troops would have to advance over miles of farmland. The terrain had very little cover and few paved roads to speak of; the attack would be very perilous in this area. Course of Battle During the initial invasion in early February, the Heartland Forces gained a large amount of momentum against the North Zician troops; the NZ independents stationed at the border were low on supplies and few in number, and were easily defeated by the massed Heartlandian army crossing over into North Zicia. The Land Task Force advanced through the Ziciabu Desert and entered the Northern Plains. Meanwhile, the Amphibious Task Force landed on the western coast of North Zicia. Their progress was severely limited by logistical and communication problems, as well as a lack of supplies; factors resulting from the hasty planning and organization of the attack. The forces that landed only advanced a few miles in land, as they were unable to push further without access to fuel, food and ammunition. In mid-February, the Land Attack faltered when troops reached the Tsurno Province; an area in to the south of the Great Plains which mostly consisted of rural communities linked together by dirt roads and rail lines, connected to the main city in the region, known as Tsurno City. Here, North Zician defense was significantly more prepared. Artillery, Aircraft and Heavy Armour had been brought in from liberated strongholds in more populous areas, and redeployed north to counter the Heartlandian threat. Heartland troops were forces to advance over exposed farmland and cross through bottle-necked valleys to attack Norzic positions; often on the high ground or set up in villages. Infantry and Tanks were also extremely vulnerable to Norzic aircraft, and casualties quickly began to mount. Attempts at Air Superiority were thwarted when Heartlandian Air Forces found themselves outmatched by the larger numbers of Norzic Jets. As the momentum of the attack slowed, the Heartland Forces were driven west in an attempt to breakthrough less defended areas of the Norzic line. This proved to be a major tactical error when, in early March, a large force of North Zician Regulars encircled the Heartland Task Force, sealing off the border and pushing the invaders into a small pocket within Tsurno Province. Breaking out of the pocket proved to be impossible, and a Heartland attempt to cross the border and establish a corridor back to safety was repelled numerous times. As the pocket was forced ever smaller by newly emancipated and rearmed North Zician troops flooding in from all over the country, the surrounded Heartland forces found themselves hopelessly outnumbered - by the 11th March, 79,000 Heartland soldiers were left to fight against an estimated 2,000,000 North Zician troops (both Regular Army and Militia). With the choice of either retreating, surrendering or inevitably perishing, the outgunned Heartland soldiers withdrew to friendly-held positions on the west coast, with the hope that an evacuation by sea could be staged in time to save the crippled army. Although saving the lives of many Heartland troops, the decision to retreat ultimately cemented the operation as a complete failure, and secured a total victory for the North Zician Rebellion. Uraz Minmak The author of "Uy Grezlin Minrall Adar", Uraz Minmak, was a squad leader and grenadier of the 195th Gvardia Napier Division of the Heartland Ground Forces. Growing up as an only child, Uraz joined the military in ERA 10-11 at the age of 18. During the fighting in North Zicia, he was part of the land advance through the North-east sector of the country. He participated in several major skirmishes on the Northern Plain, most notably when his company was tasked with defending a rail line and walled village near Tsurno City. Three counterattacks were successfully repelled by Heartland, but the village was reduced to rubble. Later, in March, the 195th were tasked with assaulting a mountain several dozen miles from Tsurno City. Their attack failed, and the division retreated to the base of the hill. Uraz was seriously wounded by sniper fire during the attack and was returned to Heartland during the Coradlekin Evacuation, only a week after writing his now famous poem. He died from his wounds later that year.